Many people don’t enjoy grocery shopping. It takes a lot of time and effort to find affordable, high-quality, and healthy foods.
My wife and I have shopped for groceries in cities across the United States, which means that we rarely have a home store. When we need to save and be efficient, there are a few things we keep in mind.
Choose the Right Store
This is one of the first things my wife and I do when arriving in a new city. We locate a grocery store that is in our area — and our budget. In Florida, we chose a Super Target because of the array of products in addition to groceries. In Connecticut, we’ve been going to ShopRite.
Choosing the right place usually starts with some good research. Browse the internet, use apps that offer an “around me” option, and compare circulars. We also ask people in the area who’ve been there longer than us. This gives us a few options to choose from.
Shop Smart
My wife and I always make a complete list before going to the grocery store. Without this, we seem to be lost as soon as we get there. It’s already more difficult for us, because most of the stores we shop at are a bit foreign to us. This just means we need to be extra prepared.
We map out our meals for the days we need food, and we head to the store with a plan in mind. We think it’s important to eat healthy, so even if it costs a little more for a healthier type of food, we usually get it.
Getting the right amount of food is essential for us. While we only need to shop for two, I’m frequently gone on road trips, so we have to plan accordingly. If we get too much or too little, we either end up with rotten food or feel forced to go out to eat. This makes getting the perfect amount of groceries vital.
While we haven’t gotten into using coupons, many people do this quite successfully. Coupons can undoubtedly save you a lot of money. No matter what, however, be sure to get a rewards card for your local grocery store. It’ll save you lots on your food, and if it’s linked up to a gas station, could you save you at the pump, as well.
The Bottom Line
Perfecting your grocery shopping techniques can take time. While it may not seem like a skill, I’ve seen many people become extremely efficient and budget-friendly with their shopping. This can save you countless hours in the store and countless dollars in your pocket.
What are your best grocery shopping tips?
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The fewer times you go to a grocery store a pay period, the cheaper it will be for you. It helps to have a freezer for sales and to stock a pantry. You have to be organized to know what you have. I use Food Storage App, that’s the name. I tested many to find one that works well.
Try E-meals or Saving Dinner website menu planning mailers. They have the shopping list, menu and recipes all together. You can choose how you eat. The E-meals one comes with an App and it gives you an option of choosing stores so you know about how much you will spend. I love both, the Saving Dinner one is more suited to our healthy eating.
I ferment/culture foods so they are healthy and provide probiotics. That includes yogurts, kombucha, cultured vegetables, cheese and more. I cook everything from scratch when we don’t eat out. We restrict eating out and when we eat out, we try to go places where we don’t leave tips. Eating fresh vegetables and making everything from scratch is a lot cheaper than people think.
Go on a diet. It will save you money.
Don’t be afraid to explore ethnic and off-price grocery stores. I have reduced my grocery bill by nearly half by shopping primarily at Aldi’s and Bestway Supermercado. I only buy staples and make everything from scratch on weekends, then freeze any excess. We have also become very creative with the unusual ingrediants we can find in the supermercado – I look at it as a challenge, and the Internet is a great source for recipes!
You should checkout Big Y when you’re in CT. My tip for shopping is to stay away from processed food. I always buy fresh or frozen fruits/vegetables & fresh meat. Walmart is good too for backing needs and cooking oil. The best tip i can give is to keep a mental note of the base price of an item & to shop around at different stores, without having to drive all over town. Farmers markets are great for fruit too. Stores have to have a high market, as they lose $ when fruit or vegetables spoil because they took too long to sell
You should always eat before you go shopping for food or else you are buying a lot of junk food and unnecessary things due to your hunger.
I am with Lee on this one. Thanks for your tip I am the same way and was wondering why I am spending about 3-400 bucks on groceries plus eating out.
I am going to follow his tactic and keep you guys posted
I used to be a big spender when grocery shopping. But I fought off this nasty demon whispering on my ear to spend more. I stay on budget by bringing the approximated amount that I should be spending. And if I am running to the grocery store for just few stuffs, I don’t take the basket with me so I won’t be tempted to get other stuffs I don’t need. For me, when it comes to money problems, it should be solved immediately.
Going with a list is a huge way to save on groceries. We have a pre-made list and just highlight the items we need. We also only go shopping once every ten days as opposed to once a week. It forces us to use all we buy and just need to buy a few extra pieces of fruit mid way through in order to make it.